Pneumatic system for cleaning coal or ore.



I w. 'E. WINN. PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR CLEANING COAL 0R ORE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3.1917.

1,295,248. Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

v INVENTORI William E. Win.

a WMWM W. E. WINN.

PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR CLEANING COAL OR ORE;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I917.

5 SHEETSS,HEET 2.

KM KN Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

INVENTOR MM .WMW. Wm

ruz mammmn. nwrmurrla, WASNlNun/nu .4. e,

W. E. WINN.

[PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR CLEANING COAL OR ORE. APPLICATION ,FILED MAR. 3, I91].

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

5 SHEETSSHEET 3- WITNESSES 7 INVENTOR William Ewinn.

W. E. WiNN. PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR CLEANING COAL 0R ORE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-3.191].

Patented Feb.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

INVENTOR E. w 3.. M WWW WITNESSES FTQE- WILLIAM E. WINN, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PNEUMATIC SYSTEM FOR CLEANING COAL OR ORE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application filed March 3, 1917. Serial No. 152,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. WINN, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Systems for Cleaning Coal or Ore, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning coal, ore, etc.

Among the objects of the invention are the removal of slate, etc., which may be classed as impurities. Another object is to do this by a dry method, saving all the dust, mother coal, and lighter matter, which is in large measure lost in the case of washing the coal in water or density solutions to separate the impurities. Another object is to furnish means and use a method by which the coal is moved past the separating means.

While a method of cleaning coal is particularly described, it will be understood that certain other mixtures, such as ore and gangue might be similarly treated. Also, matter containing heat Values may be separated from the waste matter in ashes of cleaning pits at locomotive yards, etc.

These objects are attained by air exhaust and suitable conveying and handling devices. The separation is done by subjecting the mixture in a sized condition, to the action of an air exhaust; It is a ,well known fact that when particles of matter of substantially the same size but of different specifi gravities, are subjected to a flow of fluid, the direction of which is opposed to gravity, those particles of relatively smallest specific gravity will be most affected by the fluid current, and consequently moved to a greater distance thereby. In the present case an air exhaust is applied to sized coal, etc., tending to raise it vertically, against the force of gravity. This raises the lighter particles of coal, while the heavier impurities are not raised. Thus, in efi'e'ct,the present invention draws ofl the coal, and leaves impurities, such as slate, pyrites, rock, fire clay, bone coal, etc., thus effecting a mechanical separation, without the use of water, and one that has many advantages, as .will appear more fully throughout the following specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a vertical cross section through the appae ratus on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2

shows a vertical longitudinal partial section; Fig. 3 shows a vertical cross section on l ne 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4c is a Vertical cross section on the line 44: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical section showing details of a valve, and Fig. 6 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of adjusting means for the suction boxes. I

The apparatus is housed in a suitable building comprising a foundation floor 1, walls 2, structural supporting beams 3, etc. Running lengthwise of the building are a series of parallel endless conveyers A and a centralendless conveyer B. Conveyors A are carried on supports 5 and comprise linked pans 6 carried on rollers 7, said pans constituting an endless conveyer, returning underneath by means of rollers 7, as will be readily understood. In the drawing four of these conveyers are shown, but it will be understood that this number may be varied to suit any particular set of circumstances. At the left of Fig. 2 are transverse convey ers C and D, later described.

Situated above the pans 6 (Fig. 1), at some point over each of the conveyers, are inverted funnel-shaped boxes 8, extending across the pan conveyers, fitting closely and having only slight clearance from the upturned edges 6 of said pans. These boxes are supported by cogged shafts 9, across the supports 5, said shafts having terminal hand wheels 10. The shafts are so connected to pipes 11, .which extend to the boxes 8 by'a rack 9*, thatby rotation of the hand wheels 10, the pipes and suction boxes may be raised and lowered, to adjust the relation of the boxes and pan conveyers, for reasons which will appear more clearly hereinafter.v

In order that the pipes 11 may be readily raised and lowered, flexible. joints 12 are placed therein, consisting of rubber or fabric, which readily allows adjustment in the length of said-pipes. The details of this raising and lowering means'are more clearly shown in Fig. 6. Gates 13 are arranged to open and close these pipes, and these are controlled by cords 14, runningover pulleys 15 carried by rigid supporting members 16.

These cords have terminal hand rings 17 at a point conveniently within the reach of an operator standing beside the conveyer, so that a pipe 12 is readily opened or closed from that point.

: Pipes 11 lead into air-tight tanks 18,

which have conical hopper bottoms 19, ending inoutlet pipes 20, which are controlled tendingto the parallel" conveyers A; It will by rotary valves shafts 22 having four blades or gates 23 situated at right angles to each other, in cylindrical casings 24, upper: and lower-openings- 25 and 26 in said caslngs being slightly less. than: 90 degrees of. the: circumference of the cylindi'icalehamber in which the valve works. By this means the-rotation oii shaft 22 will discharge solid matter from the botmeet 18 issupplied with an air gage 27, and a man-hole 28, as illustrated.

From'the top of this coinpartmen't a pipe 29 leads to an exhaust device =30,- which "may beef: any'of the Well kn'own fbrms, 'such as-a fan; or pump: This exhaust'devicemay be dr1ven'by-- means of connections to aj-motor NF; as shownin Fig 4, adapted to carry" dust' collected in the troughs, as hereinafterdescribed, tothe end of the conveyer', Where" it then fallsinto chutes 36, leading, to outlet pipe 37,

emptying upon' conveye-r B; as later de-- scribed.

In the illilstration" the compartment 18 has four or the connecting" ipes be understood, however, that ordinarily only one of the" pipes 11 will he opened at" a-time,

so that the full force of the exhaust of a vacuunr'r chamber 18 will be applied at' one pointi The purpose"of havi11g the'multiple connections is to give adjustabilit'y, and to permifi the use of each exhaust un'it with any one of theparallel conveyers without shifting of mechanism: I

This apparatus is intendedto handle" par ticlesofsmall-size; andordinarily,the" coal to be cleane'd will be. put through a crushing plant, whichis not here shown, and which may be" anyof 'the Well "known constructions,- froin'which plantitis'delivered onto an endless'belt conveyer'E, driven by a'm'otor M, asshown in Fig; 2. Itmis preferred'to reduce' the coal" to particles varying from inch in diaineter to" diist, and their to screen this into four sizes 1 inch. to inch cubes;

this will depend upon andvary with the" character of" the eoal and of theirnpurities foundinitz' This beltdischargesintofa b'in' 38..having a conical hopperbottom' 39 with anoutlet40,leadingj to'aftrough 4 1; infwhich rotary f screw conveyersf 42 operate to carry;

material to chutes 43; leading tor rotary 21 (Fig. 5) consistingofn motor 31 suitablygeared' theretb. The pipe 29' ha'sa' continuation 32beyond the=exhaust device, leading into a' chamber 33, the bett'orn of which slants" ire-troughs 34' 'inwhich. are rotary screw eonveyers 35, driven by' suitable belt screening drums 44. These are preferably in-the form-of the frustum of a cone, the coal being fed into the smaller end, and they comprise-aperforated sheet metal Wall, or. other screening medium, divided into three or more Zones, in each ofwhich the meshes are of a different size. These screening d'r'ums ar'e mounted on central shafts 45, which rest upon suitable supports, and which are driven by-abelt connection to a powershaft driven by moto'r'M; as shown inFig: 3.

Jilst underneath thisdru'nr is situated a rece-iving'hopper which is divided into seeti0ns46, 47, 48; eachadaptejd to receive/thesized material passing from-one of the zonesof the screening drum. Consequently the material passingthe drum in the first zone falls into thefirst division-of the receiving hopper, and iscarried off' by' a chute 49. 85 Similar chutes lead 1' from the otherdivisions of the receiving hopper belowzones147- and 48"-of thed'ru m, and from the end of the drum, and these chutes lead respectively to I receiving tanks,- or reservoirs 50'.-

Thesehoppers, as shown in Fig. 3; have conical" shaped bottoms 5'1, controlled by; gates -52,' frorn which lead chutes to terminalreceiving boxes 54, whichare adaptechto" receive" and" store the granulated coal; and to distribute it therefrom t0 theendless2c0n veyjersA comprising endless p'ans or'movingtables 6, which are mounted on upper rohersfi, and which ret'urnund'erneath by means of lower rollers 8; as above described; 100 These tables are" driven-'- by any suitable means;- as for example, motor-"M; and suitable. eonnections to a driving Wheel 55, as shown-in Fig: 2.- V 7 After passing under the induction 1 nozzle 10 5 8; above described, thesefconveyers A-i extend to chutes 5'6, intewhich isdischarged any matter remaining-thereon; these chutes leading to a transversely arranged endless con veyer' D, which in turn extendsto a dis- 110 charge point, where the material is dumped into wear or other suitable' 'receptac'le. I

Another conveyer-"Bg' consisting of an end less-belt carried onrol'lrs-b above'andi-b" below' extends beneath the chutes 20, abeve'de- 116 scribed, and rennin ates b'y disch in'to' achute 56-Which carries the clean coal to an endless coriveyer G similar t'o the conveyer D; which: terminates} at any desired point where the-clean coal isto be 'stored orlo'a'dedi 120 The constructi'oiran d mounting of conv'eyers C and D? are simil'ajr to that 'of th'e conveyer B;

It' will be' 'under'Sto'o'dtliat' the various con ve'yers referred" to are'driven by suitable connectionsto the-motor or many-"other: 126 source of power, such means beingfwe'llium derstood, -and net-peculiar to this invention.

'Wo'rkable conneeti'on areillustrated in the various views;

lows :Coal is crushed at any suitable point, and is delivered by the conveyer E to the hopper 38, from which it passes by the chute 43 to the screening drums 44, by which it is separated into four sizes, which are respectively delivered by means of chutes 49, to the storage bins 50. These reservoirs are situated over the conveyers A, and by means of the gates 52 and spreading delivery boxes 54, the crushed coal is spread evenly upon the moving tables 6, and by them is conveyed underneath the suction hoods 8.

By means of the exhaust device 30 a partial vacuum is maintained in the tanks 18, so that there is a constant upward rush of air in the induction pipes 11. The hoods 8 are raised and lowered by the operator by means of hand wheels 10, to regulate the suction sufiiciently to raise the lighter particles of coal from the movable tables, and carry them upwardly through the pipe 11 and into the chamber 18, where they immediately fall to the bottom, and are discharged by means of the rotating gate valve 21, onto the conveyer B, and thereby carried to the conveyer C which extends to a car or other suitable storage point.

The heavier impurities, such as slate, and rock, are not raised by the air exhaust, and remain upon the movable tables, being carried to the end thereof, and dumped through the chute 57 onto the conveyer D, and thence carried to any desired point.

A certain amount of dust and fine mother coal will be drawn through the exhaust device 30, and will pass into chamber 33, and thence after settling by chutes 36 to the conveyer B, with the cleaned coal.

I claim 1. The method of separating inpurities from coal comprising the steps of crushing the coal to separate the particles of coal from particles of impurities, screening the mixture to uniform size and then subjecting the mixture on a continuous conveyer to a vertically applied air exhaust.

2. The method of separating impurities from coal comprising the steps of separating the mixture into different sizes, exposing the several sizes of mixtures separately in a thin layer on a flat surface to a vertically applied air exhaust to draw ofi the lighter particles, and separately discharging the different materials.

3. The method of separating coal from other matter of different specific gravity from coal, comprising the crushing and sizing of the mixture, the spreading of the mixture in a uniform layer on a fiat surface, and the passing of the flat surface under an upward air exhaust, whereby the lighter matter is drawn off from the mixture.

4. Apparatus for cleaning crushed coal, comprising means to grade the mixture into particles of uniform size, continuous conveyers adapted to hold the mixture in a thin layer, an exhaust device adapted to apply a vertical air draft to the layer of crushed material whereby to draw ofl the lighter particles, and means to discharge the separated materials from the apparatus.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM E. WINN. WVitness:

GLENN H. LERESCHE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of- Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

